I have probably asked this question 3 times in the past two months, But does anyone know if the Clinch is going to be wadeable this weekend. I haven't got to fish it since December:mad:. If not I might head up to the SOHO. I have never fished the south holston but am willing to make the drive this weekend. Do south holston trout seem to hit the usual tailwater trout flies (zebras, BHPT's, etc) in sizes 18-20, or will they go larger....say #14s and #16s

Thanks, Lee

02-04-2009, 10:35 PM

tennswede

Hi there,

Definitely go small on SoHo. 22's and some 20's. I have fished 18's and gotten refusals. Switched to 20's and gotten in to fish.

As for Clinch, you can't really tell until they show the predicted outflow on their website. Usually on the bottom of the screen they will give the anticipated cfs. You probably can't get that info until 48 hours or so in advance. Hope this helps.

02-04-2009, 11:35 PM

troutslayer3393

Thanks for the info Tennswede, and by the way is the SoHo easily accessible. I am always up for a little hike:biggrin:

02-05-2009, 12:35 AM

Gerry Romer

I'd say the SoHo has more accessible, wadeable water than the Clinch. It also has some very diverse sections of water. The river right at and immediately below the weir dam is very different than, say, the Rockhold or River Road sections and they are very different than the bottom section of the TVA property. The flow is also much more predictable and generally much more favorable for wade fishing.

The SoHo, as Hans said, fishes better with smaller offerings. I wouldn't hesitate to go down to 28 or 30 at certain times of the day, but generally speaking something in the 18 to 22 range, dark grey or olive will turn some heads. The SoHo is also known for it's almost year-round sulfur hatch so don't overlook the requisite sulfur nymphs, emergers and dries.

For directions you could either run a search here on the South Holston -- hundreds of hits over the last few years with tons of good advice and links and directions -- or buy a DeLorme travel atlas and pick your spot and go for it! Just remember... combat fishing at the weir dam, all other sections up for grabs!

Gerry

02-05-2009, 06:10 PM

Waterborn

Ain't it the craziest thing about those winter sulphurs? Here you're expecting some winter BWO action and lo and behold, sulphers pop off , albeit briefly and sporatic, along with the olives. It was enough to get the fishes attention away from the olives...least it was so that day...pays to have that full assortment of year 'round tailwater flies on hand - I learned the hard way..I only had a couple of parachute sulfur patterns that day and lost them to some bruisers...